All The Lipstick Shades and Formulations You'll Ever Need

Not too shiny, not too matte, M.A.C Retro Matte Liquid Lip Colors is a liquid matte that provides a wash of retro muted color but is buildable and doesn't gather on the lip lines over time. P1,400, Rustan's Makati, 813.3739.

CREAMY MATTE

Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil's creamy matte formua adds texture and depth to the lips, making them even and fuller. Its convenient jumbo pencil packaging makes it easy to apply even without a mirror. P1,450, Rustan's Makati, 813.3739.

Clinique Sweet Pop Lip Color packs a ton of pigment while moisturizing for up to eight hours. Its Formula sets to a velvet finish. P1,100,Rustan's Makati, 813.3739.

Jane Iredale PureMoist Lipstick is intensely hydrating with natural oils, fruit extracts, and vitamins A and C. If not for the vivid pigments it delivers we'd think it's a lip treatment. P1,450,Rustan's Makati, 813.3739.

TINTED BALM

Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Color Balm is a cult favorite. It delivers just a hint of shine while moisturizing the lips effectively throughout the day and bathing them in sheer, natural looking pigment. P1,000,Rustan's Makati, 813.3799.

MATTE

One swipe of Estée Lauder Pure Color Envy Matte Lipstick in Commanding gives a bold and opaque even coverage. Glides easily, hugs the shape of the lip on application, non-drying, and long-lasting, this is a clear winner in the matte category. The deep burgundy hue of Commanding always makes people ask what we're wearing. P1,700,Rustan's Makati, 813.3739.

LONG-WEARING

Unlike most ultra long-lasting lip colors, Maybelline Super Stay 24 Color (which comes in over 30 shades and finishes) stays put without making our lips dry up like a raisin. It comes with two ends—the color applicator and a lip balm—to keep our puckers moisturized. After we've let it set for five minutes it won't transfer or fade (through dinner and coffee and till after the party). The only way to remove it is with a heavy-duty makeup remover. P1,200, at leading department stores.

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RED

We love The Balm Meet Matt(e) Hughes Long-Lasting Liquid Lipstick in Devoted, a bright red that looks good on all skin tones, but we love it more for its long-wearing and comfortable matte formula. It's non-sticky, transfer-free, highly pigmented, and best of all, it feels bare. It can hold for hours without a retouch, but won't need a hardcore makeup remover to take off. P775, Beauty Bar, Greenbelt 5, 757.5028.

PINK

Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick in Paris Pink Matte is perhaps the most wearable pale pink for Asian skin, thanks to its hint of brown and warm tone. P1,195, Beauty Bar, Greenbelt 5, 757.5028.

Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick in Magenta Matte is a flattering vibrant purple-pink that saturates the lips for half a day and stays on until your next cpuccino. P1,195, Beauty Bar, Greenbelt 5, 757.5028.

Michael Kors Lip Lacquer in Bombshell deposits a light fuschia tint with a bit of shimmer. Its medium coverage is long lasting. P1,800, Greenbelt 5.

Tory Burch Lip Color in Pas Du Tout is a sheer pink nude that delivers a semi-translucent finish. We can't decide if we love it more for how the sheen makes the lips look fuller or for its yummy grapefruit and mandarin scent. P1,800, Greenbelt 5.

Sisley Phyto Lip Twist Tinted Balm in Lichi is a light brown tint that looks great when worn with statement smoky eyes and on its own without making us look like we're about to faint. P2,000,Rustan's Makati, 813.3739.

Nicole’s career in publishing began in 2006. Before becoming Town & Country online’s managing editor, she moved from features editor to beauty editor of the title’s print edition. “The lessons in publishing are countless,” she says. “The most crucial ones for me? That to write best about life, you need to live your life. And another I still struggle to live by: ‘Brevity is a virtue; verbosity is a vice.’”